The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has voted (5-1) to allow hunting of more than 200 Florida black bears in 2015. As of 2002, estimates by state biologists suggested the total Florida population numbered approximately 3,000.

This decision has been overwhelmingly unpopular with the general public, with 75% of the roughly 40,000 comments received by the FWC opposing opening a hunting season for the bears, which have only been off the state threatened species list since 2012. It's always frustrating when public support for conservation isn't enough to result in good conservation outcomes, but rising public awareness is still likely to help Florida black bears into the future.

This decision is partly in response to human injuries resulting from human-bear conflict, which could be better resolved by improvement in waste management than by hunting. You can see our more in depth post on this issue here.